Milk-bottle cap



April 8, 1924. v 1,489,297

L. R. ZULKA MILK BOTTLE GAP Filed March 14 1922 Apr. 8', Til- 24.

LOUIS E. ZULKA, 0.? IEILWAUKEE, WISGGNSIN.

issaza'z MILK-BOTTLE CAP.

llpplicationrfilecl March 14, 1922. Serial No. 543,540.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, Louis E. ZULKA, a citizen of the United States, and resident ot' Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Milk-Bottle Caps; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The invention relates to caps adapted to be atlixed to the mouth or" a milk bottle.

Hitherto it has been the practice to transfer milk from a bottle to a pitcher tor purposes of table use. This transt'erfrom one container to another involves inconvenience. Where the milk has been poured out directly from the bottle, an unsanitary condition has prevailed, by reason of the loss of the paste board cap or its being perforated and torn.

The invention comprises an annulus and a plurality of depending lips adapted to be positioned upon the top of the'bottle and a cap pivoted thereto and urged by a spring to closing position.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a closure which entirely covers the milk bottle top, so that there is no possibility of exposure of the milk to an unsanitary condition. Dust and dirt cannot get into the bottle in any manner nor be de posited on the top thereof in such wise as to be in the path of: flow of milk in usage.

An additional object or the invention is the easyathxation of the cover. The depending lips are resilient and exert a tensioning action directed on the bead of the bottle, and thus compress the annulus against the top so that there is no possibility of milk passing between the annulus and the bottle top when it is being poured. The cover is also easily removed from the bottle, as the lips are adapted to be sprung apart readily.

An important feature of the invention is the convenience of manipulation of the cap which is provided with an arm which may be operated by the forefinger, while the rest of the hand exerts a gripping action on the neck of the bottle, thus the milk may be poured in a most convenient manner by the use of only one hand.

An additional object is extreme case of manufacture, the annulus and cap are very simple in design and the parts are few in number.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description procoeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein cisclosed invention be made as come within the scope of the claim.

i in the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of the present invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional View of the cover as applied to the bottle, taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2. a

Figure 2 is a bottom plan of the cover.

The device is adapted to be attixed to an ordinary milk bottle 10, having an annular bead 11 at the top thereof and comprises an annulus 12 of convex form adapted to fit snugly upon the bottle top and three lips 13, depending from the annulus and curved to conform to the shape of annulus 11.

The lips have ends is curved outwardly and of such shape that when the cover is being applied to the bottle top, the ends 14: contact with the curved surface of the top and are deflected outwardly, being sprung apart so that lips 13 are thus positioned on bead 11. Th lips exert a tightening action tending to retain annulus 12 snug against the top of the bottle, so that when milk is poured out, it does not come between annulus 12 and the top of the bottle but passes over the annulus. Thus there is no gripping. The lips 13 are spaced equidistantly apart. One of them has cars 15 outwardly extending and provided with apertures. The annulus is not provided with a lip along the portion immediately opposite to this last referred to lip, and it is at this point that the pouring of the milk normally occurs. Cap 16 extends over the entire top of the bottle and contacts with the upper surface of annulus 12, being bent down at its edge, as shown at 17, so as to make an effective closure. Integral with cap 16 is an arm 17 rearwardly extending and provided with depending lugs 18, apertured to receive pin 19 which extends also thru the openings in ears 15.

A helical spring 20 is positioned on pin 19, and has a terminal 21 contacting with arm 17, and a terminal 22 contacting with lip 13. The tensioning of the spring tends normally to maintain the cap 16 in the closed position shown in Figure 1, but the forefinger may he used on arm 17 to depress it against the tension of spring 20 so that the cap is moved away from the top of the bottle. The rest of the hand may be used to grip the neck of the bottle while the finger is resting on arm 17, so that milk may be conveniently poured by the use of one hand only.

It will be apparent that the structure is exceedingly convenient to manufacture.

I claim:

In a device of the class described, the combination of a sheet metal annulus fitting the top and outer upper portion of a milk bottle and curved to conform thereto, three depending lip integral therewith adapted to fit upon the head of such hotle, the ends of said lips being curved outwardly, a pair of ears laterally directed from one of said lips, a cap fitting snugly upon said annulus, lugs downwardly directed from the said cap, a pin passing through said ears and lugs, an arm upon said cap, and resilient means surrounding said pin and having one end contacting: with one of said lips and the other'end contacting with said arm for retaining said cap in closed position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at 'Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

LOUIS R. ZULKA. 

